Illustrations of medical evidence and trial by jury in Scotland.

Date:
1855
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Illustrations of medical evidence and trial by jury in Scotland. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    33/66 (page 31)
    show. I did not send for Mr Syme. He visits the wards daily, except when he is prevented. He did not see the boy on the Friday. I cannot tell why. I cannot tell when I first called his attention to it. He may not have been in the hospital on the Friday; I cannot remember. There is no record in the hospital to show when 1 called Mr Syme’s attention to this case. I did pay attention to this case; I most probably would tell him. I think he would look at the boy if I told him on the Friday. He looked at it as soon as I told him the nature of the injury. This apprehension, on my part, of mortification, began on the Saturday I believe. I cannot tell whether it was upon that day Mr Syme saw him or not. That is my note-book about this matter, which details certain cir¬ cumstances that I had intended to put into a letter. It is not a note-book of the cases that I attend; it was a rough book lying in the room at the time. The notes of the case are taken in the jour¬ nal of the ward—a special book for the purpose. There was no other note of this case in this book. Those pages were torn out probably before I wrote in it. I have never touched the book since. I never tore anything out. The pages torn out had nothing to do with this matter. I did not refer to the journal when I found I had no recollection of some important facts, because the journal book is not always a complete record of the case. It is kept by one person. It was kept by myself, and its contents were fresh in my memory at that time. Mr Mackenzie.—-The journal is here. The Lord Justice-Clerk.—Well, but I am asking this witness why he says he does not recollect when Mr Syme attended this case. Witness.—I have seen the journal since, and I saw no note of the date at which Professor Syme came to see it. It records the appearance of the case as it went along. The Dean.—There is nothing between the 17th and 22d. By the Lord Justice-Clerk.—There is nothing upon the ticket in the Infirmary as to the character or nature of the injury. It is filled up afterwards. The disease follows the date of admission; but it is not filled up till after the boy is dismissed. A Juror.—Can you tell us what we are to understand by a com¬ pound fracture % Dr Dobie.—When the broken bone communicates with a wound which opens externally.